Tang Dynasty Xie Lu Lang

Chapter 354 A husband without power is no different from a pig or a dog

While Zhang Dai was designing the layout of his new residence, Li Linfu, who had been detained in the Censorate for several days, was finally released.

When Li Linfu walked out of the judiciary, it was morning. The past few days had been rainy, but now, with the Shangsi Festival approaching, the sun was shining brightly every day.

As the warm morning sun shone down, Li Linfu couldn't help but take a deep breath, slightly opening his arms, trying to use the warm sunlight to dispel the gloomy atmosphere that had accumulated on him in the judicial office.

"Father, Father!"

The Li family members were already waiting outside the court. As Li Linfu walked out of the court, his sons, including Li Xiu, rushed forward and surrounded him.

Feeling his family's concern once again, Li Linfu's eyes reddened slightly. He opened his arms and embraced his sons, sighing, "Fortunately, you sons are blessed. Heaven did not want you to lose your loving father, so your father was able to see the light of day again!"

As he said this, he glanced back and saw his cousin Li Zhaodao standing there looking exhausted. He hurriedly stepped forward, bowed to Li Zhaodao, and said, "I have relied on you, brother, to run around seeking help for me these past few days. I will remember your kindness forever!"

"We're all brothers, what's the point of talking about gratitude? As long as we're alive, that's enough!"

Li Zhaodao first sighed, and then said, "Last night when I returned home from the palace, I heard that your maid had given birth to a new baby for you. It should be a double celebration. Sure enough, you were released today."

This incident should serve as a lesson for you. Never act rashly again. Even if you don't intend to benefit yourself, consider who will care for your dozen or so children if you get into trouble!

“I have remembered your teachings, brother.”

Li Linfu responded with a word of agreement. Upon learning that he had another son, he did not feel much joy, because the maid was a local barbarian woman he had taken in from Junzhou in the south of the mountains. He had brought her back to Chang'an because she was pregnant.

Now that he has another son, it means that there is another mouth to feed in the family. He has not yet found a new job since returning to the capital, but he has dozens of children, wives and concubines. He relies entirely on the family's past savings, and he will inevitably have to live off them all.

This morning, in particular, the arrival of a Chinese envoy to announce his verdict, requiring him to pay hundreds of thousands of strings of cash within the year, has undoubtedly increased his pressure, almost to the point of suffocation.

"Then I shall name him Li Dai!"

Walking south along Chengtianmen Street within the imperial city, after a distance, Li Linfu suddenly spoke with resentment. Coincidentally, all his nephews and nieces had names containing the character for "mountain" (山), and after giving his son this name, a twisted sense of pleasure welled up within him.

Seeing that he still harbored such resentment, Li Zhaodao couldn't help but sigh inwardly and said nothing more.

As the family approached the Vermilion Bird Gate, they encountered several officials striding into the imperial city through a side gate. The leader of them was Gao Chen, a retainer of Yuwen Rong.

Upon seeing this, Li Linfu quickly strode forward and waved to Gao Chen, saying, "Young Master Gao, you seem to be in a hurry. What brings you here, Vice Minister Yuwen?"

Gao Chen stopped, but only glanced at Li Linfu without answering. He then quickened his pace and left.

Li Linfu was left standing there, his smile turning into embarrassment and anger. Even after Gao Chen and the others had left for a while, they still hadn't reacted.

"Let's go home first, sort out our feelings, and then deal with the aftermath. We can deal with these social obligations later when we have more free time."

Li Zhaodao stepped forward, patted Li Linfu on the shoulder, and began to speak to him.

Li Linfu said nothing, but followed behind his cousin, head down, silently walking out of the imperial city through the side gate.

However, just as Li Zhaodao and his party mounted their horses and were about to head south along Hengjie Street, he suddenly stopped. His previously somewhat confused and melancholy eyes became resolute and sharp. He said to Li Zhaodao, "Brother, please go home with your family first. I need to visit Minister Yuwen in the provincial capital. I will return home later."

"You still have a lot of unfinished business to attend to. What else do you want to get involved in?"

Upon hearing this, Li Zhaodao became somewhat angry.

These past few days, he had put aside his pride and worked tirelessly to rescue Li Linfu. Now, seeing that Li Linfu still refused to go home, he angrily said, "This nonsense has caused Genji great distress. I went to see him every day, but he refused to see me in his anger. What can you do if you go to see Minister Yuwen?"

“Brother, you don’t understand! The more this is the case, the more we should go and seek an audience. Right now, Yuan Jiu hasn’t even been formally executed yet, and Yuwen’s failure to help in this crisis is certainly in the wrong. But after Yuan Jiu’s execution, these people will surely blame me deeply, resenting me for dragging Yuan Jiu down, thus alleviating their own guilt!” Li Linfu said in a deep voice, “If I go to see him now and explain that this was unexpected, Yuwen will also lament his own inadequacy, and we can both understand each other, and we can still maintain a semblance of acquaintance. Yuwen is about to become prime minister; if we distance ourselves now, all our previous efforts will be wasted!”

At this point, his expression turned cold and stern again: "A man without power is no different from a pig or a dog! That madman Gao Chen is nothing but a lackey of Yuwen. When I was the Censor-in-Chief, this guy was just a mere inspector. How dare he treat me like this?"

This misfortune and calamity are also due to my lack of power! Zhang Dai, a courtier, had his reports reach the Emperor's ears directly, nearly leading to the execution of Yuan Jiu and me! The enmity runs deep; even if I return home and hide, will he let me go? Only when I wield greater power can I use that power to control him and eliminate any future threat!

Li Zhaodao himself did not have a strong desire for power, and he often clashed with his cousin Li Linfu. Seeing his resolute attitude, he did not know how to comfort him, and could only sigh and say, "Whatever you do, just remember that your family is not your enemy, and don't do anything that will implicate the whole family!"

"Don't worry, cousin. After all this, haven't I learned a lesson? If I'm not sure of something, I will never act rashly. I will remain humble and respectful. But if I catch that scoundrel in the act, I will definitely kill him in one blow!"

After speaking with Li Zhaodao, Li Linfu immediately turned back into the imperial city and headed straight for the Ministry of Revenue's office.

As the highest administrative body of the imperial court, the Six Ministries of the Ministry of Personnel were always extremely busy, handling all kinds of state affairs, especially the Ministry of Revenue, which was in charge of household registration and finance.

When Li Linfu arrived at the Ministry of Revenue, he couldn't help but feel a hint of envy when he saw the staff coming and going in a hurry.

As a young man, Li Linfu indulged in pleasures such as riding in carriages, wearing fine clothes, and riding dogs, but as he grew older, he gradually awakened to his thirst for power.

His life had been smooth sailing before, and he planned to use the Censorate as a springboard to leap into the Six Ministries of the Ministry of Personnel. However, a huge blow in his life kicked him off his originally planned path to success. Now, seeing the bustling atmosphere of the Ministry of Personnel, he sincerely wants to integrate into it and is willing to pay any price for it.

He had no official duties and therefore could not freely enter or leave the Ministry of Revenue. He could only stop outside the government office and ask the garrison soldiers to announce that he wanted to pay his respects to Yuwen Rong.

"Li Linfu? I'm not seeing him!"

In the Ministry of Revenue's main hall, Yuwen Rong was busy reviewing and organizing the relevant accounting books for monks and Taoists in Guanzhong, including Chang'an.

There is considerable criticism of his policy in the court, and he must make some achievements as soon as possible before greater resistance arises. Only in this way can he win more support from the emperor and stabilize the situation. Naturally, he has no time to meet with idle people.

Moreover, the fact that Yuan Jie suffered such extreme punishment can be traced back to Li Linfu's instigation and involvement. Yuwen Rong no longer dared to intervene or dissuade Yuan Jie from the verdict, and naturally, he grew disgusted with Li Linfu.

As expected, he was turned away at the door, but Li Linfu was not discouraged. He did not leave the Ministry of Revenue and just stood by the door waiting, carefully observing and listening to what the officials of the Ministry of Revenue were busy with.

Time passed gradually, and soon it crossed the void and began to fall westward.

Li Linfu had been detained in the Censorate's Judicial Office for several days, and his condition was not good to begin with. After waiting outside the Ministry of Revenue for most of the day without food or water, by evening he was so weak that he could barely stand and was about to collapse. But he still did not leave. He just stood there with his back against a locust tree outside the Ministry of Revenue's office and continued to wait.

However, his self-inflicted suffering was not well received. Although the officials of the Ministry of Revenue were busy with their duties, no one noticed the idle man outside the door. As for the soldiers, after reporting the situation, they also ignored Li Linfu.

However, Li Linfu's real purpose was not to impress Yuwen Rong. He had been lingering outside the Ministry of Revenue's office for so long, and he had been seriously inquiring about the affairs of these officials.

Although he only glimpsed the surface from outside, he gradually came to understand what Yuwen Rong was doing. After all, he had once been a core member of Yuwen Rong's group and had some understanding of Yuwen Rong's ideas. Considering Yuwen Rong's current predicament, guessing his intentions was not difficult.

As dusk approached, the patrolmen in the imperial city began to patrol the streets and drive away those who were not on duty. Li Linfu gritted his teeth, lowered his head, tore off a corner of a cloth from the inside of his robe, pricked his fingertip with a sharp branch of a locust tree, and then wrote in blood on the cloth, "Have you not seen me? My plan has failed." He then stepped forward and asked the guards to present the blood letter to him.

"Li Linfu again? He hasn't left yet?"

After a busy day, Yuwen Rong was quite tired. When he heard the guard's report, he frowned impatiently. But when he saw the blood-written letter, his expression changed slightly, and he snorted coldly, "This madman has escaped death by luck, yet he is still restless and dares to scare me with his arrogant words!"

Although he said this, after a moment's thought, he still ordered, "Go and bring this disciple into the hall. I want to hear what wise words he has to offer me! If it's just a joke, then never approach him again!"

If it weren't for the Yuan Jie incident, he would have quite admired Li Linfu; otherwise, he wouldn't have brought him into the Censorate as an assistant in bringing down Zhang Shuo. Now that the situation is somewhat unfavorable for him, he wants to hear if Li Linfu can offer him some insightful advice.

(End of this chapter)